Results 1 - 20 of 79
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Zsuzsi Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | 'Lone rangers' and spiritual discernment | Not Specified | Zsuzsi | 121884 | ||
It happens sometimes that believers are 'left alone' and have to become 'lone rangers'. The Bible actually mentions that most servants of God were 'lone rangers', at least for a period in their lives: - Noah was left alone (with his family). Genesis 6 - Lot and his family escaped alone. Genesis 19 - Jacob was left alone to wrestle with God. Genesis 32:24 - Joseph (alone) was even sold by his brothers. Genesis 37 - Elijah complained about feeling alone several times (though God confirmed later that he wasn't) 1Kings 18:22, 1Kings 19:10,14 There are many more examples in the OT... Also in the NT, we see: - John the Baptist was alone the voice of crying in the wilderness. Mt 3:3 - Jesus Himself felt alone and forsaken by His disciples. Jn 16:32. On the cross He even felt forsaken by His Father. Mk 15:34 - Paul and the apostles also had to be alone at times. eg. Acts 28 In my opinion, being a 'lone ranger' is not the same thing as rejecting universal church teachings... Would you consider non-denominational believers 'lone rangers', for example? I actually believe it is important for a person's spiritual development that God seperates him from solid earthly support for a while; only this way can his faith be tested and strenghtened. See for example 2Chronicles 32:31: "God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart." Of course the Bible emphasizes the need for co-operation within the church, eg. Eph 4:1-16, but I believe it also urges each person to find out and work individually the will of God. ("You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise!" 2Cor 11:19) 'Individuality' does not mean 'in complete separation from the church'-all eyes must remember that they belong to a body-, but I believe God does not want a blind eye to follow a blind ear. Some churches do teach doctrines that I find unacceptable, for example. Shall I submit just because they claim to be 'THE Church of Christ', or shall I rather withdraw and seek God elsewhere? I believe each person in the universal church of Christ should feel a personal responsiblity for discerning what in the teachings of a particular church comes from God and what doesn't. I study the Bible and pray for discernment from the Spirit if I hear or read any 'Christian' teaching that I find difficult to accept. As Christians, shouldn't our purpose be to find and follow the Truth, rather than either to blindly follow earthly leaders who might as well be blind guides, or to bigotedly hold on to our personal beliefs which are clearly proven wrong? Being a 'lone ranger' is wrong if it means teaching false doctrines to people, claiming to be Christian - that is being a blind guide. But in my opinion, it is not wrong to separate ourselves to God and rely solely on the Scriptures and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, when we are in a learning period and seeking Truth. "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8 The future 'rangers' must go out alone for a while and see for themselves what the battlefield is like; the battle we are to fight is not an easy one! We can only succeed if we are backed up by the Almighty God Himself. If we do not have His support in a certain mission we feel called to, we will certainly fail anyway. We could put it this way: the eye must find the way to see by himself. He is designed for seeing, that is the only thing he has the support of the Spirit for. He might attempt to hear, but will surely fail. The ears cannot teach the eye how to see, even though they function very well in other ways: only the Spirit, who dwells in the body and holds it together, that can teach the individual parts their jobs. In the discernment period, the task of the church, I believe, is exactly to send out the believers into the hard part of the service: trying to protect them from the fight would prevent them from knowing their own abilities and limitations. Let the eye find out for himself if he can hear; he will soon realize that it is not what he is called to do. He does not need 'recipes' from any other part of the body for how to hear (there is a sad tendency that people want recipes for everything: 'How do I receive the Holy Spirit?' is a FAQ); he cannot, and will not, because he is not gifted to do that. As he turns to his Creator, he will eventually find the purpose for his existence, and be able to please God and be satisfied. It is only when we know our calling for sure and have tested our faith for ourselves (in Paul's words, know the 'fullness of Christ') that we can fully join the work in the body of Christ and function to its advantage. But then we must do so... Do you agree? Blessings, Zsuzsi |
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2 | "Least in the kingdom of God"? | Not Specified | Zsuzsi | 122604 | ||
Do you think that Jesus could have been referring to Himself by "the least in the kingdom of God" in Luke 7:28/Matt 11:11? Personally do I believe He was, although I read many other interpretations which are not even similar to mine... Cv. Phil 2:6-11... God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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3 | God will bless those who thank Him | Bible general Archive 2 | Zsuzsi | 119868 | ||
Dear Dorisjoann, I do not think the Pauline Epistles mention that exact promise anywhere. There are a few similar verses, however, see for example: Exodus 20:24: (...) Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. But: Malachi 2:2: If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. (...) See also Jeremiah 30:19, that is a promise for the future: From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. (...) I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. Otherwise, I believe the Bible teaches that thanksgiving should be honest and it is only honest if we do it out of pure love, and not because we want to be blessed for it or because we are afraid what would happen if we didn't give thanks. See, for example, Psalm 107:1: Give thanks to the LORD , for he is good; his love endures forever. Notice that it doesn't say, "..because He will bless you!" Also, read Luke 17; Jesus first explains that we should not expect rewards for our duty, then lets us know that it is actually our duty to give thanks. Hope this helps. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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4 | prayer to St. MIchael | Bible general Archive 2 | Zsuzsi | 119872 | ||
Praying to saints is a popular Roman Catholic devotion; but it is not Bible-based, i.e. it does not say anywhere in the Bible that a prayer to St. Michael repeated daily will gain any indulgence at all. According to the Roman Catholic Church, "An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment for sin the guilt of which is already forgiven, which a properly disposed member of the Christian faithful obtains under certain and definite conditions. It is granted by the Church which, as the minister of redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasury of the merits of Christ and the Saints." I.e. The Catholic Church believes that souls will suffer in Purgatory for their forgiven sins, for non-forgiven ones they will get to hell. By indulgence the punishment is eliminated partially or completely. Besides, there is no direct Biblical evidence for the existence of Purgatory either. So the answer to your question is, shortly: it means that if you repeat a prayer to St. Michael from now on until the end of your life, you will not suffer in Purgatory for sins equivalent to 3 years in your life. But, as I said, neither this, nor the existence of Purgatory is stated anywhere in the Bible; the Roman Catholic Church claims to know them by Revelation. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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5 | scripture reference-Temptation | Bible general Archive 2 | Zsuzsi | 119876 | ||
I suggest that you read James 1 together with Psalm 119 from the beginning to the end. I know they are long chapters but trust me, it's worth it... May God bless you and give you wisdom and strength, Zsuzsi |
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6 | Tithing and Giving whats your thoughts? | Bible general Archive 2 | Zsuzsi | 120150 | ||
God's true servants should not be concerned with money issues since they can rest assured on the divine providance of God: Phil:4:19 (KJV): But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Jesus' disciples went without shoes, food or money, and they lacked nothing: Lk:22:35 (KJV): And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Yet Jesus commanded us to give when we are asked to give: Mt:5:42 (KJV): Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. For God, the offering of the one who has the least has the greatest value: Luke:21:3 (KJV): And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. Jesus whipped out of God's house those who put money before God: Mark 11:15-17 (KJV): And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. God will severely judge those who abuse His servants: Matthew 18:6-7(KJV): But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! But we are not the ones to decide if what others are doing is right or wrong: Lk:6:37 (KJV): Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Romans 14:4: Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. So all we have to do is to give, when we can, to the Caesar what is the Caesar's, to God what is God's (Matthew 22:21); and the rest of the time "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. Also, please Read Matthew 23 for Jesus' opinion about blind guides. May God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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7 | Can somone help me figure out god? | Bible general Archive 2 | Zsuzsi | 122564 | ||
Dear cluelessbutlearning, I know there are online worhsip services here: http://home.christianity.com/ministries/moodychurchhour/ And I know about online Bibles here: http://biblegateway.com I suggest that you start with the NIV translation and the Gospel of Luke (type luke 1), that is the easiest to read, yet quite fathful to the original texts... (KJV is old English, NASB and AMP are constantly interrupted by explanations and cross-references.) I am 16, and had (still have some) similar problems in my family... Yet I can tell you one thing, once the Lord is your Shepherd, no-one can pluck you out of His hands! As for 'figuring God out', here is what Jesus said: "Only the Son knows the Father, and those whom He chooses to reveal Him." (Matt 11:27 and Luke 10:22) May God bless you and lead you to His safe waters. I will pray for you... Zsuzsi |
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8 | what about a Bible study??? | Bible general Archive 2 | Zsuzsi | 122576 | ||
Hi Mike, I agree, the OT books are not easy to study!! In general, the books you mentioned contain prophecies about Jesus, and the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the times.. I believe we really need God's guidance for this; I usually tell Him I am 'scratching my head' and wait on Him to answer my questions... Which He lovingly does, always. :-) It usually helps to read them in light of the NT, for the OT and the NT are closely connected, and cannot really be studied separated from one another. Maybe start with Micah, it is not too long and I think it gives a really good overview of the general ideas in those books. It has helped me a lot, at least. Possibly the NIV will not be too difficult to read; http://biblegateway.com also gives explanations to some words you might not understand. Wishing you all the best... Blessings, Zsuzsi |
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9 | bible study | Bible general Archive 2 | Zsuzsi | 122652 | ||
Mike, if you are interested in the original languages, visit http://biblemaster.com/bible (their Greek stuff is especially good), and http://www.tgm.org/bible.htm. If we do get into an organized Bible study like that, I'd love to join. Your little sister in Christ, Zsuzsi PS: This is how you spell it: "between". But as long as the first and last letters are correct it doesn't matter. ;-) |
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10 | Can somone help me figure out god? | Bible general Archive 2 | Zsuzsi | 122699 | ||
Angel, Thank you for the kind words! I am called to be "in the thick of Christ"... He is leading me there, only He knows the way; I just know there is so much more to go. But I love following Him, and I am so excited about the rest of the journey... :-) God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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11 | WHO WROTE JOSHUA? | OT general | Zsuzsi | 120532 | ||
This is what I know, though not sure... Joshua, Judges: probably written in a theological school (by a deutoronomist theologian), while the Israelites were in Babylon, 586-583BC. Ruth: some person from Judah's tribe. Time is unknown: either 641-609BC, or approx 400BC. 1Kings and 2Kings: a royal theologian priest. 580?BC 1Chronicles and 2Chronicles and Ezra:...? Probably the same chronicler wrote all of them, I only know the time, between 400-300BC. With old texts like those it is very difficult to know much about the author. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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12 | The willow tree meaning and purpose. | OT general | Zsuzsi | 122753 | ||
Hi Ruby, I have found that 'willow' appears 6 times in the AMP Bible and KJV, 4 times in NASB, and only once in the NIV. I have not found anything in the NT. In Hebrew (OT), there are two words for 'willow': - 'arab' is the same for 'willow' and 'poplar' (or basically any tree with dark wood). This word was used 5 times altogether in the original Scriptures. - 'tsaphtsaphah' only means 'willow'. This word appears only once, in Ezekiel 17:5. The willow, or poplar, is mentioned first in the context of worship. In Lev 23:40, people are to take leafy branches from trees (including the willow) and 'rejoice before the Lord' on the 'first day', which was to be held as a feast day, a 'holy convocation' or 'holy calling together' (Lev 23). Once the Lord used it in an example of Him taking care of and being above all nature, in Job 40:22, the strongest 'behemoth' (elephant or hippopotamus?) is 'compassed about' by the willow tress/poplars. In Isaiah 44:4 and Ezekiel 17:5, He seems to use the willow as a symbol of fast and secure growth. In another context: the exiles hung their harps on the willow tree to express their grief for the country (commentary in AMP for Ezra 10:11). Psalm 137:2 also mentions that in Babylon they hung their harps on willow/poplar branches, and grieved because of their captivity. In Isaiah 15:7 He mentions a 'Ravine of Willows/Poplars', where wealth would be carried. It is interesting to see that this tree has both positive and negative connotations... I hope this helps some. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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13 | Right purposes for miracles | NT general Archive 1 | Zsuzsi | 122336 | ||
In my opinion, as long as our inner purpose is to get renowned for working miracles, we can wait forever for the Holy Spirit to give us the power to carry them out...! Even Jesus had the sole purpose of glorifying the Father, not gaining personal glory: John 10:38: But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." Notice that even He did not do any miracles for Herod - probably He could have saved His life - His mission was far more important to Him than personal fame: LUke 23:8: "When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle." The working of miracles is not supposed to be anything special for Christians who truly live in God - in fact, it is mentioned as a gift of the Holy Spirit at least as common as the ability to teach! 1Cor 12:28: "And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues." Jesus clearly stated that faith would work greater miracles than what He did... He said "anyone"; to me that is not just the apostles. John 14:12: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Bible does mention that God did refuse to work miracles or answer the prayers of people, for His purposes. A few well-known examples: - David did not get to build the temple even though he wanted to (1Kings 8:18; also see 2Samuel 7) - The Father 'refused' to save Jesus Himself (even though He did pray, sweating blood in agony, for His 'cup' to be taken from Him (eg. Luke 22:42)! - compare with Matthew 26:53: "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?") - The Lord refused to heal Paul's "thorn in the flesh", even though he asked Him 3 times "lest I should be exalted above measure" (2Cor 12:7) - please read the whole chapter of 2Corinthians 12... Looking at the examples of miracles in the Bible, I conclude that God will only work miracles for us (it is Him who does it, not the actual person; John 10:32, Acts 19:11, Gal 3:5 etc) if the effect of the miracle will be glory to His Name rather than a top story on the front page of tabloid papers... Do we want our problmems solved more than we want His will to be done? Do we want to easily impress others by healing them in the mortal body more than we want to work hard to heal them in the immortal soul? Do we want glory for ourselves more than we want His Name to be glorified? If the honest answer to either of those questions is "yes", then our prayer really should not be "Let me work this miracle", but "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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14 | Right purposes for miracles | NT general Archive 1 | Zsuzsi | 122403 | ||
Hi Rowdy, Thank you for your fast reply! As a matter of fact, I deliberately linked my message to your statement.. The question was meant to be whether you agreed or not. :-) The points I was trying to make are basically my answers to your questions: 1) If we see no miracles today done by Christians, it is the sad result of our corruption, not the 'end' of the Holy Spirit giving His gifts. As I was trying to point out, Jesus said ALL people who believed ('pisteuwn', to have confidence in, trust, be persuaded of etc.) in Him would be able to work miracles; not just the apostles. I have now researched John 14:12 again to see if my interpretation of this verse was right; still, to me the Greek 'o' definitely suggests 'whoever' instead of 'you' or 'the apostles' or such. Also, John 14:13 reads: "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." That made me think that it was His promise to give us power to work miracles so that the Father may be glorified... Which leads on to my answer to your second and third questions: 2-3) If miracles are done, the way to find out if they really come from God is to look at the effects they have on people: who is glorified, God or the supposed magician? 'Testing the spirits' does refer to judging their teachings; we have to look for their purposes behind the 'miracles'. As I understand from your posts you do not believe in modern miracles, and sadly, I must agree with you to some extent... I am also rather skeptical about people who claim to be using their 'bioenergies' to heal on TV etc. Yet I believe we cannot say that the Holy Spirit does not want to exhibit His power in our age any more; it is our fault that we (Christianity) are not working miracles, not His. If we only had faith in the promises of Jesus and the purposes which the apostles had in the early church, we would safely tell a mountain to move and it would obey us - for God's glory, not for ours. Of course you do not have to agree with me. But in any case, I believe we can trust the Holy Spirit to let us know in any given situation whether the 'miracle' performed is mere deception, the work of false prophets or a true wonder of God which we should be thankful for. As for me, until I have personally witnessed a miracle like those described in the Bible, I cannot say they do exist today. But until I find definite Scriptual references which clearly suggest that miracles could only be done in the apostles' age, I do not deny their existence either. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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15 | why did God confuse thier language. | Gen 11:7 | Zsuzsi | 119879 | ||
Because people became proud and thought they could build a tower way up to heaven. Read Genesis 11:1-9 and I believe you will understand. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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16 | Why was God fearfull of man's knowledge? | Gen 11:7 | Zsuzsi | 120147 | ||
Hi Marty J, I think you are asking two very important questions! I believe with 'US' God refers to Himself as the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. 'US' from God's mouth first appears in the Bible at the creation of men, Genesis 1:26 - men were created in THEIR own likeness, having dominion over all things on earth. The second time it appears is in Genesis 3:22, when He states that men 'have become like one of US, knowing the difference between good and evil.' The third time is the verse you are referring to. Notice that the usage is always connected to 'godly knowledge'; first it was given to men, then it was abused, and finally some of it was taken away. As for your second question, I do not think God was 'fearful' as such, He simply confused their language because of their pride (look at the people's reason for building - verse 4). God showed them that He was yet more powerful! Genesis 3:22 states that people were given the possibility of knowing all things ('have become like one of US'), so if God had not prevented it, we would have been able to know too much by co-operating easily with each other. (By 'too much' I mean 'enough to forget God' - notice the wording, 'nothing they PLAN TO DO', not 'nothing' in general; i.e. people would have known enough to satisfy themselves to the point where they feel no need for God.) It was actually good for us, people, that we weren't allowed to know everything at once, because this way we still have a chance of seeking God, if anything, for knowledge! (Proverbs 2:5-6: Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.) Just look at what is happening today.. The more we are able to communicate with each other, the more we know, and the more we know, the more proud we become of things we never created, omitting the importance of our Creator! But the Bible tells that God had a different plan for us: He would first humiliate us for our sin and pride (including confusing our language and scattering us all over the globe), but then He would have mercy and put right all the things we put wrong, 'for He longs to be gracious to us' (Isaiah 30:18), which He did in Jesus. And then we will be able to have 'safe' knowledge again: He would gather the ones He once scattered (Jeremiah 31:10), and He would enable us again to understand each other (as in Acts 2). But then we would use our language to glorify Him rather than to blaspheme. That is when Jesus' prayer, that eventually we may all be one with THEM, even as THEY are one (John 17:11, 21-23), will be fulfilled. I actually think we should thank God that He stopped us at Babel, for only this way are we able to receive His kingdom as children, and not with eyes waxed with knowledge (Matthew 13:14-16)! ...for He hides His truth from the wise and learned, and reveals it to babes. (Matthew 11:25) |
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17 | "I SAID, 'YOU ARE GODS?'" | Ps 82:6 | Zsuzsi | 122995 | ||
Ray... :-) I am no Hebrew grammar scholar but here is what I think: Counting it to have been said by Deity does not necessarily mean it's 'putting words into God's mouth'. Remember the discussion we had before, ID# 122481 and the replies? If 'gods' (elohim) is interpreted as 'judges/rulers' with reference to the power we received from God (over nature etc, see Gen 1:26-29), and we say that 'children of the Most High' refers to how we have been made in His likeness, it is in no dsagreement with the point Jesus was making in John 10:33-36: if men were given so much power and dignity as to be called 'gods' and 'children of the Most High', how much more was Jesus, who was by nature God Himself (Phil 2:6), 'allowed' to call Himself the Son of God? Reading the whole psalm still makes me think it should be interpreted as 'rulers', 'judges', or 'people possessing some sort of power'... Read Psalm 82:7 (KJV), "But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes". So the reminder is definitely there, we cannot claim 'I am god/deity'. We can claim 'I am mighty' or 'I am a judge' or 'I have power', however. C.v. Psalm 82:1. To me the whole point of this psalm is similar to that of Ezekiel 28, which I was referring to earlier. We do have power to 'judge', even 'unjustly' (v2), but also to 'defend the poor and fatherless' (v3). This is the power which the Pharisees had also - I believe Jesus was referring to that when He used this passage from Scripture against them to prove Himself. For 'they know not, neither do they understand, they walk on in darkness" (v5). C.v: Isaiah 6:10, Jeremiah 5:21, Ezekiel 12:2, John 12:40... So Version 1) definitely makes sense, whether we actually accept that it was said by Deity or the psalmist. In any case, I believe it refers to the earthly power He has given to us, which creates pride in too many people. The psalm is a warning against it, as well as a cry from the humble to the Lord to "judge the earth". See also: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? for thou hast made him little lower than angels (NIV and AMP: 'heavenly beings'/'God', NASB: "God"), and hast crowned him with glory and honour" Psalm 8:4-5 (So He made us 'gods' - that's why I think most probably He is talking in this passage, but that's just a personal comment.) Personally I would not go with 2). The word 'gods' ('elohim', Strong's no: 0430) means: "(plu) rulers, judges, divine ones, angels, gods, (sing) god, goddess, godlike one, works or special possessions of God, the (true) God, God". I understand that in some sense, one could translate it as 'God's (works or special possessions)'. But then Jesus' reference would not make much sense, and neither would the rest of the psalm. If the people are 'God's', why does Jesus use the passage against them? And why would the psalmist himself talk about the injustice of the earthly leaders/mighty ones? (Injustice is not of God, it is not characterstic of 'God's' people) Whatever we go with, the point is the same: men have been exalted by God and received much power, but they have abused it; yet when Someone in the very nature of God came with much-much more power, using it only for good things, He was rejected when He claimed to be the Son of God. :-( Hope this helps a little... May God bless you in everything you do for him, but especially in your work with the capitalization of His Word, Zsuzsi |
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18 | "I SAID, 'YOU ARE GODS?'" | Ps 82:6 | Zsuzsi | 123197 | ||
Ray, I agree with most of your points: God judges, and 'gods' are who judge (on earth) and show partiality to the wicked. Also, I agree that the ones who hated God exalted themselves... I also believe that if we join ourselves to the Lord, we are one spirit with Him. What I do not understand is how 'His own' has come into the passage. If we are indeed one with Him when we join ourselves to Him, we do not hate Him and do not exalt ourselves to His place; we live by His Spirit. For people who are reborn in Christ, there is no judgment (condemnation), I believe (Rom 8:1). This made me think that God will not judge in 'His own' congregation, but 'the congregation' of disloyal 'gods'. This way in Psalm 82:8, God does not 'possess' the nations, but 'will inherit' them (see the different translations of this verse). Do you agree with me about the followings? 1) The judgment of God, which the psalm talks about, refers to the last judgment (Day of Judgment), which is heavenly and eternal (i.e. it is not the judgment that God executes already while we are on earth). 2) The judgment of 'gods' here refers to the unjust judgments of mortal rulers; this judgment is executed by people, it is earthly and will be 'judged' by God on the last day. Looking forward to seeing what you think. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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19 | "I SAID, 'YOU ARE GODS?'" | Ps 82:6 | Zsuzsi | 123337 | ||
Hi again Ray, Thanks for your reply, I must admit I have slightly (very?) different views about basically all of the passages you were referring to, but that is okay, of course. :-) Thanks for the passage translation, now I do understand where it came from. KJV and NIV are the translations I use most often and it can be translated as 'congregation of rulers/gods', or as you said, 'congregation of God'. Hebrew can be hard to put into English at times. :-) For the rest, this is what I think: 1) You said you believe the psalm was referring to the active involvement of God in the affairs of men. (I asssume by this you mean His earthly involvement in our affairs.) This is the first point of disagreement: I actually believe it talks about the Last Judgment - my thinking originates especially from v8 saying "thou shalt inherit all nations"... As far as I know, that will not happen before the second Pentecost... It seems to me that the psalmist is crying for the coming of God ("stand in the congregation", "arise" etc) But in a way I do understand your thinking too... 2) You were asking who was talking. Personally I believe the psalmist talks in v1-5, God in 6-7, and the psalmist again in v8. To me it seems like the psalmist foresees the reply/judgment of God: "I [God] said ye are gods [you have authority from Me to judge, eg. Rom 13:1-2, or Jer 5:31] ... but ye shall die like men [because of your iniquity]." 3) For Psalm 8:4-6, together with Hebrews 2:6-9: I would rather say that it was man (humanity) who was made 'little lower than the angels', which is great dignity FOR MAN - he got power over all nature, as Psalm 8:6-8 mentions - but the rest of this psalm still affirms that primarily it is all God's wonderful creation. (Even though God does 'care for' man, He is still much more powerful than us.) At the same time, and this is what I believe Hebrews 2:6-9 is telling us, becoming a man, that is, 'little lower than the angels', FOR GOD was a great act of humility, out of His love for man. He 'tasted death for every man' so that He may call us 'brethen'. C.v. Phil 2:5(6)-12. 4) Of course we should test the spirits. But I have hope that the 'spirits' whose writings are included in the Bible were truly writing what God inspired them to write. :-) Thanks for your patience in this discussion. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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20 | ye are gods? ps 82:6 | Ezek 28:9 | Zsuzsi | 122482 | ||
Hi LisaT, I believe the word "god" in Psalm 82:6 refers to the earthly power that certain rulers possessed. The original Hebrew uses 'elohim', both in verse 1 and 6, which means 'mighty ones', that is, judges. Otherwise, we are all created humans, only adopted children of the Most High. If we do have any earthly power, it is from God Himself (Romans 13:1); without Him we are nothing. (John 15:5). We come from dust, and return to dust; there are things in life about which we have no choice, for example death. "But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases." (Psalm 115:3). The fact that we are His children means that He will "think good thoughts" towards us ("For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jer 29:11), so that He can forgive when we sincerely repent of our sin, for Jesus' sake. Actually God has a very definite opinion about this: see Ezekiel 28:9, the passage I chose to support this answer. We were bought at a price, we are God's property... It is a dfferent question that He is good, loves us and shows grace and mercy rather than abusing His authority. "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1Cor 6:20) So we become His adopted children when we are reborn, thanks to His amazing Grace in the sacrifice of Jesus - but He still remains the only God of heaven and earth; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, Who is, Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty. (Rev 1:8) Hope this helps. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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